USS Indianola
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USS ''Indianola'' was a
casemate ironclad The casemate ironclad was a type of iron or iron-armored gunboat briefly used in the American Civil War by both the Confederate States Navy and the Union Navy. Unlike a monitor-type ironclad which carried its armament encased in a separate a ...
that served as a river gunboat for the Union Navy during the
American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states th ...
. A
side-wheel steamer A paddle steamer is a steamship or steamboat powered by a steam engine that drives paddle wheels to propel the craft through the water. In antiquity, paddle wheelers followed the development of poles, oars and sails, where the first uses wer ...
also equipped with two
screw propeller A propeller (colloquially often called a screw if on a ship or an airscrew if on an aircraft) is a device with a rotating hub and radiating blades that are set at a pitch to form a helical spiral which, when rotated, exerts linear thrust upon ...
s, ''Indianola'' was built in
Cincinnati, Ohio Cincinnati ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Hamilton County. Settled in 1788, the city is located at the northern side of the confluence of the Licking and Ohio rivers, the latter of which marks the state line wit ...
in 1862 by Joseph Brown before being taken by Union authorities while still incomplete, in response to a perceived Confederate threat to Cincinnati. After completion, the vessel briefly served on the
Mississippi River The Mississippi River is the second-longest river and chief river of the second-largest drainage system in North America, second only to the Hudson Bay drainage system. From its traditional source of Lake Itasca in northern Minnesota, it f ...
and the
Yazoo River The Yazoo River is a river in the U.S. states of Louisiana and Mississippi. It is considered by some to mark the southern boundary of what is called the Mississippi Delta, a broad floodplain that was cultivated for cotton plantations before the ...
before being sent downstream of
Vicksburg, Mississippi Vicksburg is a historic city in Warren County, Mississippi, United States. It is the county seat, and the population at the 2010 census was 23,856. Located on a high bluff on the east bank of the Mississippi River across from Louisiana, Vic ...
in February 1863, to support the
naval ram A ram was a weapon fitted to varied types of ships, dating back to antiquity. The weapon comprised an underwater prolongation of the bow of the ship to form an armoured beak, usually between 2 and 4 meters (6–12 ft) in length. This would be dri ...
USS ''Queen of the West'', which was operating against Confederate shipping. After ''Queen of the West'' was disabled and captured by
Confederate Confederacy or confederate may refer to: States or communities * Confederate state or confederation, a union of sovereign groups or communities * Confederate States of America, a confederation of secessionist American states that existed between 1 ...
forces, ''Indianola'' briefly blockaded the Red River before retreating upriver after learning that the Confederates intended to attack her. On February 24, ''Indianola'' was attacked by the repaired ''Queen of the West'' and the ram CSS ''William H. Webb''. After being rammed several times and badly damaged, ''Indianola'' ran aground and was captured. After learning that the Confederates were attempting to salvage the wreck, Union forces constructed and sent a dummy ironclad downriver, which bluffed the Confederates into destroying the wreck. The remains of ''Indianola'' were raised in January 1865 and sold later that month.


Construction and characteristics

On April 30, 1862, shipbuilder Joseph Brown of
Cincinnati, Ohio Cincinnati ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Hamilton County. Settled in 1788, the city is located at the northern side of the confluence of the Licking and Ohio rivers, the latter of which marks the state line wit ...
, signed a contract with the United States government to build ''Indianola'' for $128,000. The vessel was named for the city of
Indianola, Iowa Indianola is a city in Warren County, Iowa, United States, located south of downtown Des Moines, Iowa. The population was 15,833 at the time of the 2020 census. It is the county seat of Warren County. Indianola is home to the National Balloon ...
. On September 1, Brown reported that ''Indianola'' was nearing completion. She was still under construction when
Major General Major general (abbreviated MG, maj. gen. and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. The disappearance of the "sergeant" in the title explains the apparent confusion of a ...
E. Kirby Smith Four-star rank, General Edmund Kirby Smith (May 16, 1824March 28, 1893) was a senior Officer (armed forces), officer of the Confederate States Army who commanded the Trans-Mississippi Department (comprising Arkansas, Missouri, Texas, western Lo ...
's
Confederate States Army The Confederate States Army, also called the Confederate Army or the Southern Army, was the military land force of the Confederate States of America (commonly referred to as the Confederacy) during the American Civil War (1861–1865), fighting ...
troops occupied Covington, Kentucky. This movement was viewed as a threat to Cincinnati by Union
Major General Major general (abbreviated MG, maj. gen. and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. The disappearance of the "sergeant" in the title explains the apparent confusion of a ...
Lew Wallace, who appropriated the incomplete vessel to expedite its construction from Brown on September 2 and launched it on September 4. Fourteen days later, Acting Master Edward Shaw was appointed to command the ship, which had been placed into commission by September 27. While armed and prepared to defend Cincinnati by October 23, ''Indianola'' was still incomplete. She was returned to Brown once the threat posed by Smith was gone. By December, the ship was ready for general service, but the level on the
Ohio River The Ohio River is a long river in the United States. It is located at the boundary of the Midwestern and Southern United States, flowing southwesterly from western Pennsylvania to its mouth on the Mississippi River at the southern tip of Illino ...
was too low at that time for ''Indianola'' to make it across the Falls of the Ohio. On January 23, 1863, the ship joined the
Mississippi Squadron The Mississippi River Squadron was the Union brown-water naval squadron that operated on the western rivers during the American Civil War. It was initially created as a part of the Union Army, although it was commanded by naval officers, and was ...
, having arrived at
Cairo, Illinois Cairo ( ) is the southernmost city in Illinois and the county seat of Alexander County. The city is located at the confluence of the Ohio and Mississippi rivers. Fort Defiance, a Civil War camp, was built here in 1862 by Union General Ulysses ...
. It had cost a total of $182,662.56 to complete the ship. ''Indianola'' was a
casemate ironclad The casemate ironclad was a type of iron or iron-armored gunboat briefly used in the American Civil War by both the Confederate States Navy and the Union Navy. Unlike a monitor-type ironclad which carried its armament encased in a separate a ...
serving as a river gunboat. She was a
side-wheel steamer A paddle steamer is a steamship or steamboat powered by a steam engine that drives paddle wheels to propel the craft through the water. In antiquity, paddle wheelers followed the development of poles, oars and sails, where the first uses wer ...
propelled by two wheels and two
screw propeller A propeller (colloquially often called a screw if on a ship or an airscrew if on an aircraft) is a device with a rotating hub and radiating blades that are set at a pitch to form a helical spiral which, when rotated, exerts linear thrust upon ...
s. The propellers required machinery that took up space that would have otherwise been used for crew quarters. Her length was or with a
beam Beam may refer to: Streams of particles or energy *Light beam, or beam of light, a directional projection of light energy **Laser beam *Particle beam, a stream of charged or neutral particles **Charged particle beam, a spatially localized grou ...
of or and a draft of ; she displaced 511 tons. ''Indianola'' had a speed of either or . The vessel was armed with four smoothbore Dahlgren guns: two pieces and two . These guns were poorly positioned to only fire effectively to the fore and
aft "Aft", in nautical terminology, is an adjective or adverb meaning towards the stern (rear) of the ship, aircraft or spacecraft, when the frame of reference is within the ship, headed at the fore. For example, "Able Seaman Smith; lie aft!" or "Wh ...
and had a slow rate of fire. The 11-inch guns were forward on the vessel and were mounted on pivots, while the 9-inch guns fired through ports. She was protected by of iron plating serving as armor. Her complement was about 100 crew. Overall, the ship was similar to another Brown ship, USS ''Chillicothe'', except for its propulsion system.


Service history

''Indianola'' originally served on the
Mississippi River The Mississippi River is the second-longest river and chief river of the second-largest drainage system in North America, second only to the Hudson Bay drainage system. From its traditional source of Lake Itasca in northern Minnesota, it f ...
and the
Yazoo River The Yazoo River is a river in the U.S. states of Louisiana and Mississippi. It is considered by some to mark the southern boundary of what is called the Mississippi Delta, a broad floodplain that was cultivated for cotton plantations before the ...
. During the
Vicksburg campaign The Vicksburg campaign was a series of maneuvers and battles in the Western Theater of the American Civil War directed against Vicksburg, Mississippi, a fortress city that dominated the last Confederate-controlled section of the Mississippi Riv ...
, Union Navy
Rear admiral Rear admiral is a senior naval flag officer rank, equivalent to a major general and air vice marshal and above that of a commodore and captain, but below that of a vice admiral. It is regarded as a two star "admiral" rank. It is often regarde ...
David Dixon Porter David Dixon Porter (June 8, 1813 – February 13, 1891) was a United States Navy admiral and a member of one of the most distinguished families in the history of the U.S. Navy. Promoted as the second U.S. Navy officer ever to attain the rank o ...
ordered the
naval ram A ram was a weapon fitted to varied types of ships, dating back to antiquity. The weapon comprised an underwater prolongation of the bow of the ship to form an armoured beak, usually between 2 and 4 meters (6–12 ft) in length. This would be dri ...
USS ''Queen of the West'' down the Mississippi to intercept Confederate shipping on the stretch of the river between
Vicksburg, Mississippi Vicksburg is a historic city in Warren County, Mississippi, United States. It is the county seat, and the population at the 2010 census was 23,856. Located on a high bluff on the east bank of the Mississippi River across from Louisiana, Vic ...
, and
Port Hudson, Louisiana Port Hudson is an unincorporated community in East Baton Rouge Parish, Louisiana, United States. Located about northwest of Baton Rouge, it is known primarily as the location of an American Civil War battle, the siege of Port Hudson, in 1863. ...
. ''Queen of the West'' travelled downriver past the Vicksburg guns on February 2, 1863, and operated there until February 5. The ram later made a second trip, and entered the Red River on February 14. Indianola was now under the command of
Lieutenant Commander Lieutenant commander (also hyphenated lieutenant-commander and abbreviated Lt Cdr, LtCdr. or LCDR) is a commissioned officer rank in many navies. The rank is superior to a lieutenant and subordinate to a commander. The corresponding rank i ...
George Brown George Brown may refer to: Arts and entertainment * George Loring Brown (1814–1889), American landscape painter * George Douglas Brown (1869–1902), Scottish novelist * George Williams Brown (1894–1963), Canadian historian and editor * G ...
. The day before, ''Indianola'' left her moorings at the Yazoo at 22:15 with two barges loaded with coal strapped to her sides and steamed south under fire from the Vicksburg defenses. She was to join ''Queen of the West'' in her operations downstream. After passing the Confederate positions, ''Indianola'' anchored below
Warrenton, Mississippi Warrenton is an unincorporated community in Warren County, Mississippi. It is located approximately 5 miles south of Vicksburg on U.S. Route 61. Warrenton is part of the Vicksburg Micropolitan Statistical Area. History The earliest settlement ...
for the night and resumed the movement south. She had been chosen for the operation because her engines would allow her to make a speed of upstream against the current, which was much faster than Porter's other ironclads, meaning that ''Indianola'' would better be able to escape upriver in case of an emergency. However, ''Queen of the West'' was disabled in a fight with Confederate shore defenses along the Red, and had to be abandoned, with her escaping crew occupying the captured
packet steamer Packet boats were medium-sized boats designed for domestic mail, passenger, and freight transportation in European countries and in North American rivers and canals, some of them steam driven. They were used extensively during the 18th and 19th ...
''
Era No. 5 ''Era No. 5'' — a shallow-draft steamer built in 1860 at Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania — was chartered by the Confederates early in 1863 to transport corn from the Red River to Camden, Arkansas. As the steamer — laden with 4,500 bushels of corn ...
''. They were pursued by the Confederate ram CSS ''William H. Webb'', but managed to reach the safety of ''Indianola'' on February 16. While ''Era No. 5'' headed backed towards Union positions near Vicksburg, ''Indianola'' moved against ''William H. Webb'' and sighted her that afternoon near
Ellis Cliffs, Mississippi Ellis Cliffs is a ghost town in Adams County, Mississippi, United States. Situated atop a high chalky bluff overlooking the Mississippi River, the white cliffs were frequently mentioned by early river voyagers. The settlement was located approxim ...
. ''Indianola'' fired, but was out of range, while the Confederate vessel escaped around a bend of the river in fog. ''Indianola'' then held a blockade of the junction of the Red and the Mississippi, but withdrew on February 21 after learning that ''William H. Webb'', the captured and repaired ''Queen of the West'', and two steamers filled with Confederate soldiers were moving to attack her. Slowed by the two coal barges which she was still bringing with her in the belief that Porter might send down another vessel and the coal would be needed, ''Indianola'' was caught on the night of February 24 by ''William H. Webb'' and ''Queen of the West''. The two Confederate vessels, under the command of
Joseph Lancaster Brent Joseph Lancaster Brent (November 30, 1826 November 27, 1905) was a lawyer and politician in California, Louisiana and Maryland and a brigadier general in the Confederate army. Personal Joseph Lancaster Brent was born on November 30, 1826, in P ...
, a
major Major (commandant in certain jurisdictions) is a military rank of commissioned officer status, with corresponding ranks existing in many military forces throughout the world. When used unhyphenated and in conjunction with no other indicators ...
in the Confederate Army, could have reached ''Indianola'' earlier, but waited until nightfall for combat, in order to make it harder for the Union vessel to aim and to give the Confederate shore batteries at
Grand Gulf, Mississippi Grand Gulf is a ghost town in Claiborne County, Mississippi, United States. History Grand Gulf was named for the large whirlpool, (or gulf), formed by the Mississippi River flowing against a large rocky bluff. La Salle and Zadok Cramer commente ...
a chance to fire on the ship. Near
Davis Bend, Mississippi Davis Bend, Mississippi (now known as Davis Island), was a peninsula named after planter Joseph Emory Davis, who owned most of the property. There he established the 5,000-acre Hurricane Plantation as a model slave community. Davis Bend was abo ...
, Brown turned the
prow The bow () is the forward part of the hull of a ship or boat, the point that is usually most forward when the vessel is underway. The aft end of the boat is the stern. Prow may be used as a synonym for bow or it may mean the forward-most part ...
of his ship towards the Confederate vessels and prepared for combat by positioning the ship so that one of the coal barges was between ''Indianola'' and the Confederates. After shots from the Union 11-inch guns missed, ''Queen of the West'' rammed ''Indianola'' on her
port A port is a maritime facility comprising one or more wharves or loading areas, where ships load and discharge cargo and passengers. Although usually situated on a sea coast or estuary, ports can also be found far inland, such as Ham ...
side and smashed one of the coal barges almost in half. The Union sailors cut away the stricken barge, and then suffered the shock of a head-on ramming from ''William H. Webb''; the Confederate ship was damaged in the collision but made another charge and crushed the other coal barge. ''Queen of the West'' moved upstream to build momentum and then rammed the
starboard Port and starboard are nautical terms for watercraft and aircraft, referring respectively to the left and right sides of the vessel, when aboard and facing the bow (front). Vessels with bilateral symmetry have left and right halves which are ...
side of ''Indianola'', destroying the starboard
rudder A rudder is a primary control surface used to steer a ship, boat, submarine, hovercraft, aircraft, or other vehicle that moves through a fluid medium (generally aircraft, air or watercraft, water). On an aircraft the rudder is used primarily to ...
and wheelhouse. ''William H. Webb'' performed a similar maneuver, and damaged the
stern The stern is the back or aft-most part of a ship or boat, technically defined as the area built up over the sternpost, extending upwards from the counter rail to the taffrail. The stern lies opposite the bow, the foremost part of a ship. Ori ...
of the Union vessel. Brown had ordered his ship to fire, but was only able to score either a single hit on the ''Queen of the West'', which inflicted casualties but caused little structural damage or two hits on the ''Queen of the West'' that disabled cannons and a hit on ''William H. Webb''. With the ship sinking and barely steerable, Brown had ''Indianola'' run aground onto the western bank and hauled down his flag, but the Confederates were able to pull the stricken ship over to the eastern bank, which they held. ''Indianola'' sunk in of water. During the fight, ''Indianola'' had been rammed seven times. While all but one Union sailor survived the battle, only three escaped the ship's capture to bring word to Porter; Brown and most of the others had been taken prisoner. The Confederates detached a salvage crew to attempt to raise ''Indianola''. The Union authorities knew that if the vessel was repaired and added to the Confederate fleet like ''Queen of the West'', the result could be disastrous for the Union fleet on the Mississippi as the two captured vessels could potentially defeat and capture other Union ships. Porter did not have ships available to send on the risky mission to destroy the wreck of ''Indianola'', so he ordered the construction of a hoax ironclad in order to bluff the Confederate salvage crew into abandoning the wreck. This was accomplished by lengthening an old coal barge with logs and adding a casemate, Quaker guns, and two
smokestack A chimney is an architectural ventilation structure made of masonry, clay or metal that isolates hot toxic exhaust gases or smoke produced by a boiler, stove, furnace, incinerator, or fireplace from human living areas. Chimneys are typic ...
s made out of pork barrels. The contraption, which was known by the name ''Black Terror'', was sent downstream on February 26. It passed the Vicksburg defenses without taking major damage, and frightened ''Queen of the West'' into leaving the area of the wreck. The abandoned Confederate salvage crew, who may have been intoxicated, threw the 9-inch guns into the Mississippi, pointed the 11-inch guns at each other muzzle-to-muzzle and then fired them, before burning what remained to the
waterline The waterline is the line where the hull of a ship meets the surface of the water. Specifically, it is also the name of a special marking, also known as an international load line, Plimsoll line and water line (positioned amidships), that indi ...
. On the morning of February 27, the Confederates realized that ''Black Terror'' had only been a hoax. Vicksburg fell to Union forces on July 4. The remains of ''Indianola''s wreck were raised on January 5, 1865, and towed to Mound City, Illinois, where they were sold on January 17.


References


Sources

* * * * * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Indianola Ships of the Union Navy Ships built in Cincinnati Steamships of the United States Navy Shipwrecks of the American Civil War 1862 ships Shipwrecks in rivers Maritime incidents in February 1863 Ship fires Naval magazine explosions Ironclad warships of the Union Navy